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Judith Fonseca Lestrange
|image=Judtih Fonseca Lestrange.png |image_size = 200 |caption=1843 painting of Lestrange at 22 |birth_name = Judith Arielle Lestrange |birth_date= |birth_place = Little Gibraltar, Channel Islands, Mexico |death_date= |death_place = Riverside, Inland Empire, Sierra |resting_place = Sawtelle National Cemetery Porciúncula, Gold Coast, Sierra |occupation = Poet, author, playwright, columnist |parents=Alexandre Lestrange Marlène Alves |alma_mater = Avalon College |movement = (early works) (later works) |notable_works = "A Seaside Eulogy" (1838), Forsaken at Sea (1846), "The Temple of Anubis" (1850), "On Wise Men" (1853), Jacob's Ladder (1867) |spouse=Manuel Fonseca |children=Martin Fonseca Lestrange Isabel Fourier Jolee Nielson |religion= |denomination= }}Judith Arielle Fonseca Lestrange , (November 9, 1821–January 5, 1911) was a Channelier-Sierran poet, novelist, playwright, and short story writer. Her status as a woman, as well as her unconventional views and life caused controversy during her lifetime, which led to rejection and ridicule. Significant interest and respect in Lestrange's work did not develop until her final years during the Sierran Cultural Revolution. The first woman to be inducted into a Sierran chivalric order (the Royal Order of the Rose of Sharon), Lestrange was a prolific writer who contributed over 900 poems, 6 novels, 2 plays, and 33 short stories over the span of her adult life. She would briefly serve as Poet Laureate of Sierra from 1907 until her death. Contemporary scholars and literary circles have regarded Lestrange as one of Sierra's greatest poets. Lestrange was born in Little Gibraltar to a prominent, upper middle-class family of lawyers and doctors. Although she attended Avalon College to become a nurse, she left without completing her studies to pursue a . Subsisting on her parents' finances, Lestrange spent months away from home, traveling to the mainland to explore the country. She developed a close fondness for Porciúncula and the surrounding area, and eventually settled in Riverside where she married labor worker Manuel Fonseca. Although her most creative period in life occurred during the initial years of her life in Riverside, her subject matter often dealt with the Channels and her hometown, and spoke fondly of her childhood. She produced her first novel,Forsaken at Sea which was poorly received at the time and was nearly discouraged from writing again. After struggling with depression, she joined the Methodist Church in 1859, and began turning her attention towards writing novels and plays. In order to sustain her career, and the long hiatuses in her poetry and novel creations, she wrote for various newspapers as a columnist under various pseudonyms, most under male names (the most prominent being "Harry Stein"). Recognition of Lestrange as an accomplished writer came towards the end of her life as literary critics began seriously considering her works. Biography Family and childhood Judith Fonseca Lestrange was born on November 9, 1821 in Les Chalets , Little Gibraltar, Channel Islands. Her father, Alexandre Lestrange, was a prominent French lawyer on the island, who served on the colonial government board. Her mother, Mariène Alves, was the daughter of a Spaniard military officer, and was reputed for her pompous clothing. Lestrange's brother, Frederic, was five years older than she was, while her sister, Emile, was two years younger. Her uncle, Simeon Lestrange, was a doctor are arguably equal reputation as her father, as he was the only practicing surgeon at the time with knowledge in using . Adolescence and early writing College years Career and marriage Later years Death Works Themes ''Forsaken at Sea'' ''Idol Relics'' ''Jacob's Ladder Commemoration and legacy Selected works Poetry collections Short story collections Plays Novels Letters Portrayal in media See also *Channel Islands Category:Kingdom of Sierra Category:Sierrans Category:Channel Islands Category:Channeliers Category:Culture of Sierra Category:19th-century Sierran poets